Are You Being Served? (TV Series 1972–1985) - IMDb IMDb There was an error trying to load your rating for this title. Some parts of this page won't work property. Please reload or try later. X Beta I'm Watching This! Keep track of everything you watch; tell your friends. Error The misadventures of the staff of a retail floor of a major department store. Creators: The recent travel strikes have left the staff stranded at the store. At first thought, the idea of camping out on the floor seems a horrible idea, but soon the staff start sharing many war memories ... 8.5 Mr. Lucas is keen on Miss.Brahms and decides to write her a note to ask her out. But when Mrs. Slocomb gets the note instead, the situation gets very complicated. To top it off, she thinks Captain ... 8.4 Ordered to cooperate in the store's German themed week, the Grace Brothers' staff try to find a way to get into the Teutonic spirit.

8.4 a list of 36 titles created 29 Dec 2011 a list of 25 titles created 08 Feb 2013 a list of 48 titles created 15 Mar 2014 a list of 31 titles created 26 Mar 2014 a list of 27 titles created 16 Dec 2014 Title: Are You Being Served? (1972–1985) 8.1/10 Want to share IMDb's rating on your own site? Use the HTML below. You must be a registered user to use the IMDb rating plugin. The staff of the defunct Grace Brothers department store reunite to run a rural hotel. Stars: Mollie Sugden, John Inman, Frank Thornton The staff of Grace Bros. take a trip to Costa Plonka while the department is being remodeled. Director: Bob Kellett A snobbish housewife is determined to climb the social ladder, in spite of her family's working class connections and the constant chagrin of her long suffering husband.

Stars: Patricia Routledge, Clive Swift, Geoffrey Hughes A reboot of the classic sitcom _"Are You Being Served?" (1972). Director: Dewi Humphreys When Tom Ballard moves to Bayview Retirement Vilage, he meets Diana Trent, a feisty old woman who complains about everything and wants nothing more than just to die. Much to the dislike of ... See full summary » Stars: Graham Crowden, Stephanie Cole, Daniel Hill The Korean War and a long lost letter separate the lives of young lovers Jean and Lionel, whose paths cross again by happenstance. Stars: Judi Dench, Geoffrey Palmer, Moira Brooker Three old men from Yorkshire who have never grown up face the trials of their fellow town citizens and everyday life and stay young by reminiscing about the days of their youth and attempting feats not common to the elderly. Stars: Peter Sallis, Jane Freeman, Kathy Staff The perils of "escaping the rat race" and dropping out of society - to start a farm in Surbiton (and to drive Margo nuts). Stars: Richard Briers, Felicity Kendal, Penelope Keith A boisterous female minister comes to serve in an eccentricly conservative small town's church.

Stars: Dawn French, James Fleet, Trevor Peacock Audrey fforbes-Hamilton is sad when her husband dies but is shocked when she realises that she has to leave Grantleigh Manor where her family has lived forever. The new owner is Richard De ... See full summary » Stars: Penelope Keith, Peter Bowles, Angela Thorne When Mr. Humphries takes over as head of the mens-wear department at Bone Brothers in Australia, his character and experiences remain exactly the same as it was behind the counter in Grace ... See full summary » Stars: John Inman, June Bronhill, Reg Gillam The comic adventures of a group of misfits who form an extremely bad concert party touring the hot and steamy jungles of Burma entertaining the troops during World War II. Stars: Windsor Davies, Melvyn Hayes, Donald Hewlett Edit Storyline This quintessentially British sitcom is about Grace Brothers, a department store in London which is owned and kept traditional, almost pre-war (e.g. precise dress code for ladies frills and gentlemen's hats according to rank), by two brothers who look old enough to have fought in the Boer war but rarely appear, as most scenes play on one floor where Mr.

Cuthbert Rumbold is the executive (meaning he enjoys an endless parade of foxy but stupid secretaries) in charge of management while his dignified floor walker, Captain Stephen Peacock, has daily charge over two small sales teams. The bossy, implicitly man-hungry widow Mrs. Betty Slocombe supervises the attractive Miss Shirley Brahms (with a terribly common Cockney accent) -with first choice of customers, on commission- the sale of women's clothes and accessories; the sales star at the gentleman's side is Mr. Wilberforce Clayborne Humpries, an implied closet-gay true gentleman, whose successive superiors are first obviously nearly ... Written by KGF Vissers 8 September 1972 (UK) See more » Also Known As: Are You Being Served? See more » Filming Locations: In one of the installments(Fifty Years On), Mrs. Slocombe celebrates her 46th birthday. See more » Goofs Character's first names vary throughout the series: Mr. Lucas is variously James or Dick; Mr. Harman starts as Harry, then becomes Beverley; the cleaner has three different names, always played by the same actress.

See more » Quotes See more » Crazy Credits Closing credits were preamble with the caption, "You have been watching" followed by each actor, either breaking the fourth wall to the camera or still in character relating to the episode. See more » Connections (San Francisco) – See all my reviews I remember watching reruns of this show on PBS in the 90s, I must have watched every episode ten times. The only American show that could be compared to AYBS is probably Threes Company, if only for the dirty jokes that pop up on every episode. It was a little weird seeing such proper British people casually tossing off filthy double entendres, but that was part of the charm, the characters were largely oblivious to the fact. My favorite character was Mrs. Slocombe with her sky-high neon-colored hair. She and Mr. Humphries made the show, just like Karen and Jack make Will & Grace, if you get my drift. Mrs. Slocombe had the funniest reactions to every event, no matter how small, and was quick to petulance after her fragile ego was even slightly bruised. I still laugh when I recall scenes from the show, for instance when she walked in one day wearing a brown outfit and Mr.

Lucas said "how now brown cow", and she glared at him. I'm laughing as I type this. Or the time when Mr. Rumbold became ill and Mrs. Slocombe took over the whole department and used his office, she started ordering all these fancy things befitting an executive, like a new suit, and Mr. Travis said "She looks like Rocky Marciano". Then she ate the meringue and got a call from Mr. Rumbold not to eat the meringue, and became violently ill. My favorite Mrs. Slocombe episode, if there is one, is when she can't get home so she stays at Grace Brothers upstairs and has a self-contained apartment. One-by-one, all the other characters, who couldn't get home either, drop by to stay at her apartment and she has to accommodate them all. It's hilarious! There's also one episode where Joanne Lumley makes an appearance and she's young and sexy, she's selling perfume or something. This wasn't the best show ever made, but the characters are so well crafted that you feel like Grace Brothers could be a real department store somewhere.

Even in the 70s, when this show was made, Grace Brothers seems hopelessly old-fashioned and out of date. 26 of 30 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes BBC - Comedy - Are You Being Served? Are You Being Served? Are You Being Served? With its innuendo-laden comedy, penchant for slapstick and panto-type characters, Are You Being Served? had something for everyone and became a juggernaut of 1970s television. While appearing in It's Awfully Bad For Your Eyes, Darling, writer and performer Jeremy Lloyd met comedy producer David Croft and touting for work, mentioned his idea for a new sitcom based upon his experience in the 1950s working in department store Simpson of Piccadilly. Recognising the idea's potential, Croft insisted he be brought in as co-writer and a pilot edition was created for Comedy Playhouse in 1972. This lead to a full run, kicking off the following year. Set in the antiquated Grace Brothers department store, the show followed the OTT antics of its staff.

Leading the troops was the dowdy Captain Peacock (Frank Thornton), a city gent with a penchant for pomposity. Head of ladies fashion, Mrs Slocombe (Mollie Sugden) sported a different hair colour every week and continually harped on about her "pussy", while assistant, Miss Brahms (Wendy Richard) was the literal butt of a slew of bottom-pinching antics. Meanwhile fussing manager Mr Rumbold (Nicholas Smith) watched on in bemusement. The stand out character, however, was Mr Humphries (John Inman), a camp, senior assistant in the menswear department, who became infamous for trilling his catchphrase, "I'm free!". Although clearly a laboured parody of an effeminate gay man, both Inman and Croft were resolute he was just 'a mummy's boy'. Although the show was often criticised for its bawdy content, it was a family favourite, often attracting audiences of over 20 million.

When it finally came to an end in 1985, it did feel a little past its best, but that didn't stop Croft and Perry returning to the format for a 1992 spin-off series: Grace and Favour. Are You Being Served? - The Complete Second Series 1974 DVD: Amazon.co.uk: Mollie Sugden, John Inman, Frank Thornton, Wendy Richard, Nicholas Smith, Trevor Bannister, Harold Bennett, Arthur Brough: DVD & Blu-ray Product Description Product Description Complete second series of the classic camp British television sitcom, set in the Grace Brothers department store. In 'The Clock', Mr Grainger (Arthur Brough) celebrates his 37 years at Grace Brothers. In 'Cold Comfort', a fuel shortage leads the staff to find alternative ways of keeping warm. In 'The Think Tank', sales are low and the company decides to put on a fashion show, but with no cash to hire proper models, the staff are forced onto the catwalk themselves. In 'Big Brother', a shoplifter has struck, and a store detective installs video surveillance.

Finally, in 'Hoorah For the Holidays', redecorations force the staff to all take the same two-week holiday. Synopsis The staff at Grace Brothers rarely sold anything, but there were always certainties about the great 70s series: Mr Humphries was "free", Mrs Slocombe was worried about her "pussy" and Young Mr Grace would appear to declare "You've all done very well". Alongside Captain Peacock, Mr Grainger, Mr Rumbold, Mr Lucas and Miss Brahms they filled the store with comic bickering, perposterous sales ideas and almost any excuse for more hilarious costumes and so created one of the sauciest, campest and funniest sitcoms of the decade. This DVD contains the entire second series of the popular sitcom including the episodes: "The Clock", "Cold Comfort", "The Think Tank", "Big Brother" and "Hoorah for the Holidays". Customers Who Bought This Item Also Bought Page 1 of 1 Start over Page 1 of 1 This shopping feature will continue to load items. In order to navigate out of this carousel please use your heading shortcut key to navigate to the next or previous heading.

David Croft - Telegraph TV & Radio Obituaries David Croft David Croft, who died on September 27 aged 89, was the joint creator of some of BBC Television’s best-loved and most enduring situation comedies. David Croft (left) with Jimmy Perry Photo: BBC Image 1 of 3 The cast of Dad's Army, with Arthur Lowe as Captain Mainwaring on the left. Photo: BBC Image 1 of 3 A scene from the stage show of 'Allo 'Allo at the Prince of Wales Theatre in 1986 Photo: REX 5:35PM BST 27 Sep 2011 With his writing partner Jimmy Perry, Croft devised and wrote Dad’s Army (1968-77), the whimsical, affectionate lampoon of the wartime Home Guard which, thanks to unceasing repeats, continues to draw viewers, old and new, a decade into the 21st century. After Dad’s Army ended its original run, two more of Croft and Perry’s classic series — It Ain’t Half Hot, Mum (1974-81) and Hi-de-Hi!

(1980-88), with Croft producing — enjoyed huge success. With a new writing partner, Jeremy Lloyd, Croft created and scripted Are You Being Served? (1972-85) and ’Allo ’Allo (1982-92), and (again with Jimmy Perry) You Rang, M’Lord? (1988-93). In his seventies, Croft collaborated with Richard Spendlove, a former railwayman, to produce Oh, Dr Beeching! (1995-97). A nostalgic preoccupation with class ran throughout Croft’s work, intertwined with repeated references to campness, an echo of his early theatrical background. His characterisations of gays often proved controversial; one BBC eminence took one look at Mr Humphries, the mincing menswear assistant portrayed by John Inman in Are You Being Served?

and declared: “The poof will have to go.” Inman, stoutly supported by Croft (“If the poof goes, I go”), quickly achieved stardom and weathered the long-running controversy fomented by gay lobbyists who complained that Croft and Lloyd had portrayed the character in a stereotypical and offensive way. Related Articles Pamela Cundell, actress 17 Feb 2015 Croft’s work frequently placed him at odds with his masters at the BBC. Paul Fox, as controller of BBC One, objected vehemently to the basic premise of Dad’s Army . “You cannot,” he told Croft, “take the mickey out of Britain’s finest hour.” Neither was Croft’s inversion of the old class divides in tune with the 1960s cultural revolution and talk of a classless society: the portrayal of the pompous Captain Mainwaring (Arthur Lowe) as a petit-bourgeois snob and Sgt Wilson (John le Mesurier) as a languid patrician was a stroke of genius.

Inspired by Jimmy Perry’s real-life wartime exploits in the Watford Home Guard, Dad’s Army became one of the most popular comedies ever screened on British television, relished as much by those who had served in the wartime auxiliary services as by viewers still unborn when the 1940s sirens sounded. Yet initial reaction was mixed. Sean Day-Lewis in The Daily Telegraph identified a “nervous sense of humour” in the portrayal of events which, in 1968, remained well within the memory of most of the viewing audience. At a pre-transmission screening of the first episode organised for the BBC by a market research company, one woman complained: “Haven’t we had enough of this old wartime rubbish?” Even John le Mesurier predicted it would be “an absolute disaster”. But when Croft received the firm’s report — most of it critical — he simply slipped it beneath the pile in his in-tray and forgot about it. In the event, an initial audience of eight million in 1968 had more than doubled by 1972, and there was critical as well as popular acclaim.

When the original series ended in 1977, The Guardian lamented its passing, saying it had “given us finer farces, straighter faces, richer characterisations and a good deal more social observation than most of the more pretentious dramas.” Despite his patrician air (he arrived for the first day’s filming of Dad’s Army in his 1954 Rolls-Royce Silver Wraith), Croft was ever alert to the spirit of the age. As the historian Dominic Sandbrook observed: “[Dad’s Army’s] gaze was firmly fixed on the past. It celebrated a lost era of austerity and collective endeavour, but its appeal depended on the domestication of leisure and the new individualism of the affluent society.” Against the grain of the times, Croft wove in few references to sex, and his early work with Perry was largely male-dominated; the women in Dad’s Army, for instance, were all marginal and either boot-faced or tarty. But in Are You Being Served? such types moved centre stage in the shape of the middle-aged Mrs Slocombe (Molly Sugden) continually lamenting the state of “my pussy” to the young Miss Brahms (Wendy Richard).

Set in a fading department store called Grace Brothers and launched in 1973, Are You Being Served? was Croft and Jeremy Lloyd’s metaphor for the parlous state of a once-great nation of shopkeepers. “Grace Brothers was Britain,” noted the journalist Stuart Jeffries , “a disunited kingdom that had started crumbling during the war and, against all the odds, against all the laws of physics and of good taste, still kept going, supplying a dwindling bunch of customers with things that they surely could not want.” In Hi-de-Hi!, Croft’s next collaboration with Jimmy Perry, female characters continued to loom large, notably the terrifying Gladys Pugh (Ruth Madoc) setting her cap at her boss Geoffrey Fairbrother (Simon Cadell), and the poignant figure of Peggy Ollerenshaw (Su Pollard), the would-be Yellowcoat doomed to perpetual servitude as a chalet maid. Another Croft and Perry series set in a man’s world, It Ain’t Half Hot, Mum, featured characters criticised as racial as well as gay stereotypes, and the series — now fettered by modern constraints of political correctness — has never been repeated.

Set in a Royal Artillery depot in India in 1945, it followed the fortunes of an Ensa concert party, a collection of oddballs and misfits overseen by a homophobic battery sergeant major (Windsor Davies) and two ineffectual officers (Donald Hewlett and Michael Knowles). Croft rebuffed criticism of some of the characters, pointing out that the concert party’s female impersonator “Gloria” (Melvyn Hayes) was not homosexual but a transvestite. In You Rang, M’Lord? Croft introduced the first recurring lesbian character in a British sitcom in the shape of Cissy (Catherine Rabett). One of Croft’s biggest rows within the BBC was over ’Allo ’Allo, the outrageous farce which poked fun at the French Resistance, the German occupiers of wartime France and the airmen of the RAF, investing everyone with appalling cod accents. Asked how he could countenance equating the heroic French with the evil Gestapo, Croft would patiently explain that ’Allo ’Allo was not intended as a comment on either.

“What we are sending up,” he told an interviewer, “is a whole genre of stiff upper-lip films and TV series like Colditz and Secret Army in which people actually did utter, in deadly earnest, lines like 'Listen vairy carefully, I will say thees only once.’” Despite frequent complaints about its political incorrectness, ’Allo ’Allo found favour with many heavyweight fans, among them Lord Rees-Mogg and (it was rumoured) the Queen Mother. Even more remarkably, the BBC succeeded in selling the series to more than 40 countries, eventually including France and Germany. Croft’s style of comedy derived from an ensemble of instantly engaging characters and the creation of an enclosed arena in which their antics could be varied almost ad infinitum. In close on 500 scripts, Croft prided himself on never having ventured into the “domestic comedy” field; neither, he maintained, had he written more than a handful of “gags” .

Instead his scenarios exploited the potential of what he described as a “trapped environment”, sending the valiant geriatrics of Dad’s Army on a never-ending round of futile manoeuvres, and the grotesques of ’Allo ’Allo on a series of bizarre missions which everyone knew would end in catastrophe. Many Croft-Perry-Lloyd characters were caricatures, at least in part, of the actors who played them. Croft himself admitted that Captain Mainwaring was “an extension of Arthur Lowe”; the actor could be as prickly as his character, and often arrived in the studio without having learned all his lines. “He never used to take his script home,” Croft explained. “He’d say: 'I’m not having that rubbish in my house.’ So he’d read it for the first time in the taxi and would finish learning it on the set. I used to field complaints from the rest of the cast.” Croft was born David John Sharland on September 7 1922 at Poole, Dorset, and brought up in Finchley, north London.

His father, Reginald Sharland, was an actor and his mother, Anne Croft, a popular theatrical star of the 1920s and 1930s, who ascribed her fine singing voice to the precaution of swallowing a raw egg in a glass of sherry before every performance. Reginald Sharland went to Hollywood shortly after his son was born and became a radio star in the United States. David was sent to Rugby, but owing to financial constraints left before his 16th birthday. He took courses in shorthand, typing, singing and dancing, helped out in his mother’s production company, and took bit parts in films . He was planning to join his father in California when the Second World War broke out and the family moved to Bournemouth, where David served as an air raid warden — an experience which would provide much material for Dad’s Army. In 1942, aged 19, he joined the Royal Artillery. After contracting rheumatic fever in north Africa, Bombardier Croft was sent home to convalesce and then underwent officer training at Sandhurst.

Posted to India, he arrived as the war in Europe ended, and was assigned to the Essex Regiment at the Urulli camp outside Poona. He was made brigade entertainments officer, and as a major helped to oversee the evacuation of Japanese PoWs from Singapore. Demobbed in 1947, Croft produced summer shows at Butlin’s holiday camps, took small television roles, joined the BBC Show Band Singers and wrote songs, sketches and even pantomimes for stars such as Tommy Steele and Norman Wisdom . With the launch of commercial television in 1955, Croft joined Associated Rediffusion as a light entertainment script editor, and in 1959 moved to Newcastle-upon-Tyne as a producer for Tyne Tees. It was there that he first worked in situation comedy, producing Under New Management, set in a derelict northern pub, and writing a musical sitcom called Sunshine Street. He remained in light entertainment when he moved to the BBC in London and produced The Benny Hill Show before Hill (whom he could not abide) decamped to ITV.

He produced Hugh and I (1962-68), with Hugh Lloyd and Terry Scott, and Beggar My Neighbour (1966-68), in which he cast his future writing collaborator Jimmy Perry as Reg Varney’s flamboyant brother. When Dad’s Army earned him fame in the late 1960s, Croft was a BBC staff producer, but he soon reverted to being a freelance, although almost his entire television career was spent working for the BBC. In later life he reflected that, had he stuck to his staff job, he would have been retiring at about the time he was writing the pilot programme for ’Allo ’Allo. Like most successful comedy writers, Croft was happiest working office hours in collaboration with a regular partner. They would sit on opposite sides of a table, tossing dialogue ideas at each other. Then one of them would pace the room while the other made notes. At half time, they would change places. The essence of Croft’s comedy style was rigorous discipline. Farce, he believed, depended on painstakingly worked-out detail and perfect timing.

Even the apparent gibberish of Corporal Jones’s flights of fancy, or the ludicrous mispronunciations of Officer Crabtree in ’Allo ’Allo, were worked out to the last syllable. More than 30 years on, the appeal of Dad’s Army endures. Repeats attract more than 10 million viewers, and the famous “Don’t tell him, Pike!” scene has repeatedly been voted the funniest television moment of all time. Polls continue to name it the nation’s favourite comedy, and in 2000 the British Film Institute, ranking it 13th in its list of the best television shows of the 20th century, declared that “purely in terms of its sustained popularity the show is without equal”. Among Croft’s many honours were Bafta’s Desmond Davis award in 1981 for his outstanding contribution to television, and a Royal Television Society silver medal in 1991. In 1978 he was appointed OBE for services to television. His autobiography, You Have Been Watching..., appeared in 2004.

David Croft married, in 1952, Ann Coupland, with whom he had seven children. One, Penny, followed her father to become a highly-regarded television comedy writer. Another, Rebecca, married the star of one of her father’s comedies, the late Simon Cadell who played Geoffrey Fairbrother, the incongruous holiday camp entertainments manager in Hi-de-Hi! Are You Being Served? Again! (TV Series 1992–1993) - IMDb IMDb There was an error trying to load your rating for this title. Some parts of this page won't work property. Please reload or try later. X Beta I'm Watching This! Keep track of everything you watch; tell your friends. Error Are You Being Served? Again! Grace & Favour (original title) The staff of the defunct Grace Brothers department store reunite to run a rural hotel. Stars: Mr. Humphries and Miss Moulterd take a horse and carriage ride into town, to pick up Mr. Thorpe when his train arrives. On their way there, Malcolm Heathcliff catches up with them on his bike, once ...

8.6 The staff's first full day at the lodge proves more complicated than they expected. 8.3 After the gang has helped seeing the latest guests off, Celia Littlewood pays them a visit. Apparently, the annual local cricket match has always been held on the manor lands and she asks them if ... 8.3 a list of 34 titles created 26 Jul 2013 a list of 23 titles created 14 May 2014 a list of 34 titles created 10 Aug 2015 a list of 38 titles created 08 Oct 2015 a list of 28 titles created 11 months ago Title: Are You Being Served? Again! (1992–1993) 8/10 Want to share IMDb's rating on your own site? Use the HTML below. You must be a registered user to use the IMDb rating plugin. The staff of Grace Bros. take a trip to Costa Plonka while the department is being remodeled. Director: Bob Kellett The misadventures of the staff of a retail floor of a major department store.

Stars: Mollie Sugden, John Inman, Frank Thornton A reboot of the classic sitcom _"Are You Being Served?" (1972). Director: Dewi Humphreys When Mr. Humphries takes over as head of the mens-wear department at Bone Brothers in Australia, his character and experiences remain exactly the same as it was behind the counter in Grace ... See full summary » Stars: John Inman, June Bronhill, Reg Gillam When Tom Ballard moves to Bayview Retirement Vilage, he meets Diana Trent, a feisty old woman who complains about everything and wants nothing more than just to die. Much to the dislike of ... See full summary » Stars: Graham Crowden, Stephanie Cole, Daniel Hill A snobbish housewife is determined to climb the social ladder, in spite of her family's working class connections and the constant chagrin of her long suffering husband. Stars: Patricia Routledge, Clive Swift, Geoffrey Hughes Audrey fforbes-Hamilton is sad when her husband dies but is shocked when she realises that she has to leave Grantleigh Manor where her family has lived forever. The new owner is Richard De ...

See full summary » Stars: Penelope Keith, Peter Bowles, Angela Thorne The Korean War and a long lost letter separate the lives of young lovers Jean and Lionel, whose paths cross again by happenstance. Stars: Judi Dench, Geoffrey Palmer, Moira Brooker Three old men from Yorkshire who have never grown up face the trials of their fellow town citizens and everyday life and stay young by reminiscing about the days of their youth and attempting feats not common to the elderly. Stars: Peter Sallis, Jane Freeman, Kathy Staff Comic goings on in this series set in an English holiday camp called Maplins. The title comes from the camp's greeting, which the staff are meant to say with enthusiasm but all too often ... See full summary » Stars: Paul Shane, Ruth Madoc, Jeffrey Holland Hetty wakes on her 60th birthday and decides to become a private investigator. With assistance from a teenager called Geoffrey and her husband Robert, combined with her own common sense, Hetty is confident she can solve any case. Stars: Patricia Routledge, Dominic Monaghan, Derek Benfield A boisterous female minister comes to serve in an eccentricly conservative small town's church.

Stars: Dawn French, James Fleet, Trevor Peacock Edit Storyline When Mr. Grace is killed in a tragic scuba diving accident, the Grace Brothers store is closed down. Being faced with the option of finding new jobs or early retirement on a miniscule pension, the staff takes over the running of a large manor house/hotel in the English countryside, where all manor of humorous things take place. Written by Jeremy Lunt <durlinlunt@acadia.net> The sequel to 'Are You Being Served ?' Genres: 10 January 1992 (UK) See more » Also Known As: Are You Being Served? Again! See more » Filming Locations: Did You Know? Trivia In the final episode, Wendy Richard 's cairn terrier named Shirley Brahms makes a cameo appearance. See more » Quotes (United States) – See all my reviews It's true that it's not the same as the original, and I also wish that Trevor Banister had joined, (it would have been great to see him as a hen pecked husband, kind of to make up for his being such a "ladies man") but it was still a great show.

It's too bad they didn't continue. I would have loved to see Mr. Humpfries bop Malcom in the hooter! I loved how they showed Mrs. Slocomb's "humble beginnings." Corpral Pompus looked like a bit of a dirty old man, but it was in the name of comedy. And Mr. Rumbold was just as irritating as in the original. Did anyone else notice that some of the guest stars were in the original. Mr. Slocomb was the store detective in Big Brother. Malcom's dad was one of the robbers. Can't remember the name of that episode. 7 of 7 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes Are You Being Served? | Are You Being Served? Wiki | Fandom powered by Wikia Are You Being Served? Wiki This article is about the original British sitcom. For other uses, see Are You Being Served? (disambiguation) . Are You Being Served? Title card of pilot (2010) Genre 8 September 1972 – 1 April 1985 No. of series Grace & Favour Are You Being Served?

is a British sitcom broadcast from 1972 to 1985. It was set in the ladies' and gentlemen's clothing departments of Grace Brothers, a large, fictional London department store . It was written mainly by Jeremy Lloyd and David Croft , with contributions by Michael Knowles and John Chapman. The idea for the show came from Lloyd's brief period in the early 1950s working at Simpsons of Piccadilly , a clothing store which traded for over 60 years until 1999. [1] The inspiration for the store has also been credited to Rossiters of Paignton department store from the time Lloyd and Croft spent there, [2] and the former Clements of Watford. Over the course of its 13-year run, only Frank Thornton , Mollie Sugden , John Inman , Wendy Richard and Nicholas Smith appeared in all 69 episodes, and all later featured in the sequel television series, Grace & Favour (also known as Are You Being Served? Again!). In 2004, Are You Being Served? came twentieth in " Britain's Best Sitcom ".

In January 2010 the BBC screened the show's pilot programme (seen in colour for the first time since the early 1970s) [3] alongside several tribute shows to the late actors who appeared in the series with BBC2 dedicating an entire night to the show. Contents Edit Are You Being Served? featured humour based on sexual innuendo, misunderstandings, mistaken identity and occasional slapstick. In addition, there were sight gags generated by outrageous costumes which the characters were sometimes required to wear for store promotions, and gaudy store displays frequently featuring malfunctioning robotic mannequins. The show is remembered for its prolific use of double entendres. The main humorous base of the series was a merciless parody of the British class system. This permeated almost every interaction and was especially evident in the conversations between the maintenance men and the ostensibly higher-class store personnel. The episodes rarely left the store, and to parody the stereotype of the British class system, characters rarely addressed each other by their first names, even after work, opting for their formal titled names ("Mr", "Mrs", "Miss", or even "Captain"). When they did address each other by their first names, it was almost always for a comical effect.

Main characters Mrs. Betty Slocombe , head of the ladies' department. She is known for her changing hair colour and conversations about her cat, which she always refers to as her pussy. Mr. Wilberforce Claybourne Humphries , an effeminate, mincing, camp man who lives with his mother. Captain Stephen Peacock , the haughty floorwalker who purportedly fought in the North Africa Campaign of World War II but was actually in the Service Corps and never saw combat. Miss Shirley Brahms , a young, attractive, working-class, cockney-speaking junior assistant to Mrs. Slocombe. Mr. Ernest Grainger , a 40-year veteran of Grace Brothers who often fell asleep on the job. Mr. Cuthbert Rumbold, the autocratic, obsequious (to Young Mr. Grace), easily confused department manager. Mr. Dick Lucas, the young, penniless, womanising junior salesman. Young Mr. Grace , the very old, rich but stingy store owner, surrounded by attractive young women. Old Mr. Grace , Young Mr. Grace's older brother who eventually replaced him at the store, when Young Mr. Grace retired. Mr. Beverly Harman and Mr.

Mash, the maintenance men who installed mechanised display units in store and were often scolded by Captain Peacock for being on the floor during opening hours. Mr. Percival Tebbs, Mr Grainger's replacement. He retired after only one year in the men's department. Mr. Harry Goldberg, Mr Tebb's replacement. Originally the junior salesman he was promoted after showing to be a master salesman. Mr. Grossman , an expert shoe salesman, who replaced Mr. Goldberg as head of the men's department. Mr. Klein , head of the men's department after Mr. Grossman. Mr. Bert Spooner, replaced Mr. Lucas and was similar to him in many ways. Cast Harold Bennett — Young Mr. Grace — Pilot–Series 8 Episode 1 and the 1981 Special Stephanie Gathercole — Mr.

Rumbold's Secretary — Pilot–Series 2 Nina Francis — Miss Ainsworth — Series 2–Series 3 Moira Foot — Miss Thorpe — Series 3 Penny Irving — Miss Bakewell/Miss Nickelson (Movie) — Series 4–The 1979 Special Vivienne Johnson — Nurse — Series 6–The 1981 Special Milo Sperber — Mr. Grossman — Series 8 Episodes 1–Episode 4 Benny Lee — Mr. Klein — Series 8 Episodes 5–Episode 7 & The 1981 Special Kenneth Waller — Old Mr. Grace — Series 8 and The 1981 Special Debbie Linden — Secretary — Series 8 Episodes 1–Episode 4 Louise Burton — Secretary — Series 8 Episodes 4–The 1981 Special Candy Davis — Miss Belfridge — Series 9–Series 10 Diana King and Diana Lambert — Mrs.

Peacock — Series 4, 8 and 9 (King); Series 10 (Lambert) Doremy Vernon — Canteen Manageress — 1975 Special–Series 10 Keith Hodiak — Seymour — Series Ten Pat Astley — Mr. Grace's Nurse — Series 5 Uncredited ^1 Arthur Brough died just before filming of series 6 commenced. Episodes Main article: List of Are You Being Served? episodes Are You Being Served? was first broadcast on 8 September 1972 on the BBC, in the form of a pilot for the series Comedy Playhouse . It only aired when it did because of free airtime created by the Munich massacre during the 1972 Summer Olympics . The pilot was reshown at the beginning of the first series on 14 March 1973. That first series was aired in the same timeslot as Coronation Street on ITV , and consequently received relatively little attention. However, repeats shown later in the year were much more successful.

[4] Although the pilot was produced in colour, the videotape was wiped in the 1970s leaving only a 16mm black-and-white film telerecording . In 2009 the pilot episode was restored to full colour using the colour recovery technique previously used for the Dad's Army episode Room at the Bottom . The restored version was first shown on BBC2 on 1 January 2010 as part of an 'Are You Being Served' special night. It is not currently available on any DVD release yet. The show went on to receive huge audiences, with later episodes attracting up to 22 million viewers. [5] After 10 series, 69 episodes and a 13-year run, Are You Being Served? came to an end on 1 April 1985. In addition, the cast performed in character for a stage sketch on the BBC1 programme Variety on 19 June 1976.

Theme song Edit The theme song, written by the show's co-writer David Croft and composer Ronnie Hazlehurst , consists of a lift girl (whose voice was provided by Stephanie Gathercole ) announcing each floor over the musique concrète sounds of a cash register (which basically serves as the only percussion instrument ) and a simple musical accompaniment . A remix of the theme was released in 1996 by a dance act calling itself "Grace Brothers", [6] and featured samples of John Inman and Frank Thornton. There is a homage to the theme song in the Ladytron song "Paco!" from the album " 604 ", and New Zealand band Minuit 's "I hate guns". A version of the theme song is featured on the album The Ape Of Naples by the experimental music group Coil . The theme song has also been covered by Australian band Regurgitator on their 1999 album ...art . Pop singer Jamelia's song "Window Shopping" (from her 2006 album Walk with Me ) begins with a sample of the familiar cash register sound effect as well as Mrs. Slocombe's voice inquiring, "Good morning, Mr Grainger; are you free?".

Reception Edit During its run, the series attracted some mild criticism for its reliance on sexual stereotypes and double entendres, including jokes about Mrs. Slocombe 's "pussy" (cat) e.g. Mrs. Slocombe : "Animals are very psychic; the least sign of danger and my pussy's hair stands on end". John Inman's camp portrayal of Mr. Humphries as an effeminate man could easily be misinterpreted by viewers. Inman pointed out that Mr. Humphries ' true sexual orientation was never explicitly stated in the series, and David Croft said in an interview that the character was not homosexual, but "just a mother's boy". [7] With a broad mixture of stereotypical gay characteristics, some apparent heterosexual attractions, and always picking up on ambiguous words such as queen, gay, and camp, viewers were left wondering about Mr. Humphries' sexual orientation. In an episode of the spin-off Grace & Favour , the character is further described as neither a "woman's man" nor a "man's man" and as being "in limbo". The characters ( Mr. Humphries especially) sometimes broke the fourth wall for comical effect.

Film Main article: Are You Being Served? (film) In 1977, an Are You Being Served? film was released using the same characters and cast. It was set in the fictional resort of Costa Plonka, in Spain. The film was an adaptation of the very successful stage version of the show, which played at the Winter Gardens Theatre, Blackpool over the summer of 1976. Other countries Edit The series has become very popular in the United States on PBS stations and on BBC America, as well as in many Commonwealth nations around the world. A US adaptation pilot episode called Beane's of Boston aired on 5 May 1979 on CBS, but it didn't make it through a full season. An Australian version , also called Are You Being Served?, ran for sixteen episodes from 1980 to 1981. It starred John Inman as Mr. Humphries, June Bronhill as a character similar to Mrs. Slocombe, and Shane Bourne . The store's name was changed to Bone Brothers, as Grace Brothers was the name of an actual department store chain in Australia. The show was aired in Canada during the late night on YTV.

Grace & Favour Main article: Grace & Favour In 1992, most of the original cast reunited for a spin-off show called Grace & Favour . This series was called Are You Being Served? Again! in the United States and Canada. Merchandise Edit Seven early episodes were novelised for a book, written by Jeremy Lloyd, called Are You Being Served? – Camping In and other Fiascos. This was written in 1976, and republished in 1997 by KQED Books. The seven episodes featured are Camping In, Up Captain Peacock, Wedding Bells, His and Hers, Coffee Morning, The Hand of Fate and The Clock. In 1995, KQED Books published Are You Being Served – The Inside Story by Adrian Rigelsford, Anthony Brown, and Geoff Tibbals, with a foreword by Jeremy Lloyd, and sub-titled: "The Inside Story of Britain's Funniest – and Public Television's Favorite – Comedy Series". In 212 pages, the book's six chapters cover: The Cast of Characters, Behind the Scenes, The Episodes, The Spin-offs, Trivia Quiz, and Glossary.

ISBN 0-912333-04-9 . In 1999, I'm Free! The Complete Are You Being Served?, a guide to the series, was published by Orion Books. It was written by Richard Webber, with contributions from David Croft and Jeremy Lloyd. A board game was also produced in the 1970s. Players moved round a board resembling the shop floor to purchase one item from each of the four counters and leave the store, before their opponents and without going over budget. DVD releases Edit All Ten Series, including both the black & white and colour versions of the pilot episode and all five Christmas specials from those years, are now available on DVD in the UK (Region 2). Are You Being Served: the Movie was released in 2002. All ten series, as well as both series of Grace & Favour (in packaging titled Are You Being Served? Again!) and the film are available on DVD in Region 1 (North America). All ten series, as well as both series of Grace & Favour (in correctly-titled packaging) and the film have been released in Australia (Region 4). A DVD titled Are You Being Served?

– Best of The Early Years and Are You Being Served? Christmas Specials have also been released. DVD title

Question: Which character in Are You Being Served was often worried about her pussy
Answer: Mrs Slocombe